It is well known that wet wipes provide excellent cleaning. They are used extensively for babies and also find a variety of uses for other purposes. In the infant care area, such wet wipes are made of nonwoven synthetic fibers, such as polypropylene, which are unaffected by the water content in the wipe. Hence these products can be stored and used without concern about the wet strength of the wipe. Unfortunately, this desireable characteristic is also a detriment, since these wipes cannot be safely disposed by flushing them down the toilet. While nonwoven wipes may pass through the plumbing within in the home, they are apt to clog service lateral pipes that have been penetrated by roots. If they pass through the service laterals, such wipes may also clog sewage treatment facilities by hanging up on the closely-space cross bars that serve to filter out solid waste entering the facilities.
Consequently, for in-home use and in public restrooms, dry bath tissue remains the only viable product. While readily dispersible, dry bath tissues do not possess the cleaning ability of wet wipes. Therefore there is a need for a wet wipe product that possess adequate dispersibility so that it may be safely disposed of by flushing down the toilet.